Head coach of the Western Conference's No. 12 seed Blackhawks, Jeremy Colliton, sounded optimistic about facing off against the No. 5 Oilers in a play-in series through the NHL's 24-team playoff format during a Zoom video conference call put on by the Hawks Thursday.
He has good reason to be. If the league stuck to a normal playoff structure they wouldn't potentially be playing for a playoff spot. Plus, Chicago went 2-1-0 against the Oilers this season, holding NHL superstar Connor McDavid pointless in the two games he played in.
Beyond that, Colliton believes the three-month layoff during the NHL pause benefits the Blackhawks.